December 17, 2008

Wii Theremin - Santa Claus is Coming to Town

This is was my submission for NPR's National Caroling Party. The gist is that people submit their own recordings of a common Christmas carol, and NPR blends selections together into the most diverse set of voices, instruments and interpretations you could imagine. When I heard about this I knew the Wii Theremin would be a perfect 'voice' to add to the choir.



[Wondering what the heck is going on here? See my earlier post Wii Theremin - How It Works]

I'm sure they're inundated with very qualified entries, but my fingers are crossed that they'll pick mine to share with their listeners.

UPDATE: I heard back from the producer - I made the cut! So, if playing this video over and over just isn't enough Santa Claus is Coming to Town on the Wii Theremin for you, then be sure to tune in to All Things Considered on Sunday, December 21st to hear it again!

Click here for the mp3 of the Theremin solo.

Click here for the mp3 of the Theremin with piano.

Enjoy!
Ken

PS - hugs and kisses to my wife, Kali, who lit, filmed and tolerated the many attempts it took to get it (this close to) right.

PPS - I've just gotten a request for Rudolph the Infrared-Nosed Reindeer! However, Kali's eager for me to bust out Tiptoe Through the Tulips next. Should be a fun 2009 :)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

ken, you are quite an amazing person. Im glad to call you brother!

Anonymous said...

ken, you are quite an amazing person. Im glad to call you brother!

Sean said...

You know you've "arrived" when you make it on npr.

Can't wait to here those dulcet tones emanating from my radio on Sunday afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Hear your version on NPR tonight--way, way cool. I think it mostly goes to show that you can make music whenever, wherever and with whatever. Have a great holiday!

Anonymous said...

Interesting application. Your playing is good too. Interested to know how long you have been at it.

Good luck to you and a blessed and holy Christmas to you and your family.

Philip Neidlinger

http://www.myspace.com/panelectronica

Ken Moore said...

@Philip - Thanks for your compliments... I've only been playing for a month or so - probably have logged only 4 hours total playing. I have a lot of musical background, so while the instrument is new I have 'transferable skills' that help :) Merry Christmas to you as well!

PS - I'm listening to Twilight Time on your MySpace page... very sweet.

Albi and Tracy Odendaal said...

Hi,
ever thought of putting a grid on your screen that shows relative positions of pitch?
Albi

Albi and Tracy Odendaal said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ken Moore said...

@Albi and Traci,

Yes, I've designed various on-screen displays for monitoring pitch, including a keyboard view. It's good for novices or folks without great pitch, but it's akin to putting frets on a violin (blasphemy!) -- the Theremin really needs to be played by ear and the hand positions need to be learned and internalized. That explains why there are so few Theremin players out there :)